Book1:TeDream-Maker(2/88)
"Thatwasthedaybeforeyesterday．Aren’tyouhungry?"
"What！I”vesleptforsolong？Nowthatyoumentionit，I’mstarved!”saidDimitriandheheardhisstomachgrowlinprotest．Mariannahandedhimacupofhotchocote．
"Thereisfrieddhamsandwithebag．Heatitupa．Why’tyoustayawakeandfindsomeworktodoinsteadoflivinginyourdreams?"shescolded．"Whydon’tyoueandliveinmygarage?Youwon’tbeinanybody’swayandyou’llhaveadetroofoveryourhead.”
"No，thankyou，ma’am．Thanksfortheoffer，butI’musedtoithere．Tomethemostimportantthingistokeepupmyvitality．Thankstoyou，Ihaveenoughfoodtosustainmyphysicalhealthandkeepupmybrainactivities．Therestissuperfluousandmeannothingtome．"
"OK，"saidMariannaresignedly，"Youdon’thavetothankme．Youwashmydwearequits．Getupyourdsandwidgooutthereandgathermaterialforyourdreams．"
Afterthesplendidbreakfast，heputonhisnewshirtandshoeswhichhehadretrievedfromthegarbagethedaybefore，ahatlifeingeneralwasfineindeed．Sopushinghiscartinfrontofhim，hewentoutintotheworld．"IwonderwhatI’llfindtodaytoweaveintomydreams”hethought．Everydaywasfreshaohim．Hehadafeelingofexpecy，likeachildgoingtoDisneyrolledaimlesslyaround，assers-byhurryingtowardstheirdestinations．"Whyaretheyinsuchahurry?"hewondered．"Lifeshouldbepcid,tobeenjoyed，notsohurried...”Thedaypassedwithouthisseeinganythingoutoftheordinary．Dimitriwasdisappointed．"Uh-uh，nomaterialformydreamstonight．It’sgettingte．"Justthen，hesawanoldcouplewalkinghand-in-hand，takingtheireveningstroll.Theingtired.theysatontheparkbench．
"Honey”saidtheoldmantohiswife，”Sonnyboywrotetousyesterday，askingustogototheirpceforChristmas．He’sagoodboy．"
"Youknow，darling，"hiswifereplied，"notonlyoursooo，hasinvitedusforChristmas．Theyarebothgoodchildren，butwhichpceshouldwegoto?”Simpleasthesewordswere，Dimitricouldseelove，happiranquillityandasenseofprideofhavingmadesomethingoutoftheirlives．Theirlife，theirlovewaslikeabarrelofwine，whichhavingbeenbrewedawholelifetime，wasnowperfedfittodrioodrockstill，deeplyimpressedbytheoldcouplebeforehim．
“Therewassomethingworthwhileinthislifeafterall,”hethought．
DimitriwasavagabondwithmorethaiwasteandtoofarawayfromMarianna’srestauranttogetsomethi，sohedecidedtofindoneofhisnumerousrestingpdturnin．Helookedaround．Thepcewouldbetheabandonedsewer，hedecided．Itwasthehuntinggroundofprostitutes，theirpimps，drugdealersandtheirers．ButthesewerenothingtoDimitri．Whenhecametothesewer，hegathereduphisstybelongingsfromthecartwhichheleftagainstthewall，thenpullingupthelidoftheman-hole，hesteppedgingerlydownthenarrowdder．Hehadn’tusedthispceforafewmonthsnowandwasn’tasfamiliarwithitasheusedtobe．Inthedark，hisfoottouchedsomethingsoftandwarm．Itwasamoaninghumanbody．
Dimitrilithiskeroseoveandsawayounggirl，noolderthanfifteen，curledupinaheapontheground，withtearsandnasalmucusalloverherface．Shewasmoaningandshiveringuntrolbly．
"AreyouOK?"heaskedbendingoverher．
"Twenty...twenty...twentydolrs..."shebeggedinahoarseandalmostindistinguishablevoice．Dimitrikhatshemustbeanaddientedbyherneedfs．Hesearchedthroughhispockets,foundadolrhereadolrthere,anotherfromhissocks，untilhegotsomethinglikefifteendolrsandgavethemtoher．Thegirl’slusterlesseyeslitupasshegrabbedthemledupthestepsandsaid，"I’llberightback.”ItwasthenthatDimitrisawshewascrippledandwalked．
Aftershehadleft，Dimitrispreadouthissleepingbagandpreparedtosleep．Thegirlwasbalessthantenminutes．Shewasnormalnowandwasnolongershivering．
"Doyouhaveanymoremoney?Givethemtomeandyouhaveyourwaywithme..．Ihemoney.”
"What’syourname?"
"Shei．"
"Howoldareyou?"
"Idon’tknow．Fifteentosixteen，Isuppose．Igrewupinfosterhomes．"Dimitriwaoaskmore，butSheiinterrupted，"D’youhaveanymoremoney？I’llsellyoumybody．Doyouwantme?"
"OfcourseIdo．I’maman．ButIdon’thaveanymoremoney”．
Shebowedherheadinsilence．Dimitrilookedather．Shewasiful，butnotpiher，justanaveragegirlindirtybluejeans，T-shirtandajacket．Washedanddressedupshecouldevee．
"What！I”vesleptforsolong？Nowthatyoumentionit，I’mstarved!”saidDimitriandheheardhisstomachgrowlinprotest．Mariannahandedhimacupofhotchocote．
"Thereisfrieddhamsandwithebag．Heatitupa．Why’tyoustayawakeandfindsomeworktodoinsteadoflivinginyourdreams?"shescolded．"Whydon’tyoueandliveinmygarage?Youwon’tbeinanybody’swayandyou’llhaveadetroofoveryourhead.”
"No，thankyou，ma’am．Thanksfortheoffer，butI’musedtoithere．Tomethemostimportantthingistokeepupmyvitality．Thankstoyou，Ihaveenoughfoodtosustainmyphysicalhealthandkeepupmybrainactivities．Therestissuperfluousandmeannothingtome．"
"OK，"saidMariannaresignedly，"Youdon’thavetothankme．Youwashmydwearequits．Getupyourdsandwidgooutthereandgathermaterialforyourdreams．"
Afterthesplendidbreakfast，heputonhisnewshirtandshoeswhichhehadretrievedfromthegarbagethedaybefore，ahatlifeingeneralwasfineindeed．Sopushinghiscartinfrontofhim，hewentoutintotheworld．"IwonderwhatI’llfindtodaytoweaveintomydreams”hethought．Everydaywasfreshaohim．Hehadafeelingofexpecy，likeachildgoingtoDisneyrolledaimlesslyaround，assers-byhurryingtowardstheirdestinations．"Whyaretheyinsuchahurry?"hewondered．"Lifeshouldbepcid,tobeenjoyed，notsohurried...”Thedaypassedwithouthisseeinganythingoutoftheordinary．Dimitriwasdisappointed．"Uh-uh，nomaterialformydreamstonight．It’sgettingte．"Justthen，hesawanoldcouplewalkinghand-in-hand，takingtheireveningstroll.Theingtired.theysatontheparkbench．
"Honey”saidtheoldmantohiswife，”Sonnyboywrotetousyesterday，askingustogototheirpceforChristmas．He’sagoodboy．"
"Youknow，darling，"hiswifereplied，"notonlyoursooo，hasinvitedusforChristmas．Theyarebothgoodchildren，butwhichpceshouldwegoto?”Simpleasthesewordswere，Dimitricouldseelove，happiranquillityandasenseofprideofhavingmadesomethingoutoftheirlives．Theirlife，theirlovewaslikeabarrelofwine，whichhavingbeenbrewedawholelifetime，wasnowperfedfittodrioodrockstill，deeplyimpressedbytheoldcouplebeforehim．
“Therewassomethingworthwhileinthislifeafterall,”hethought．
DimitriwasavagabondwithmorethaiwasteandtoofarawayfromMarianna’srestauranttogetsomethi，sohedecidedtofindoneofhisnumerousrestingpdturnin．Helookedaround．Thepcewouldbetheabandonedsewer，hedecided．Itwasthehuntinggroundofprostitutes，theirpimps，drugdealersandtheirers．ButthesewerenothingtoDimitri．Whenhecametothesewer，hegathereduphisstybelongingsfromthecartwhichheleftagainstthewall，thenpullingupthelidoftheman-hole，hesteppedgingerlydownthenarrowdder．Hehadn’tusedthispceforafewmonthsnowandwasn’tasfamiliarwithitasheusedtobe．Inthedark，hisfoottouchedsomethingsoftandwarm．Itwasamoaninghumanbody．
Dimitrilithiskeroseoveandsawayounggirl，noolderthanfifteen，curledupinaheapontheground，withtearsandnasalmucusalloverherface．Shewasmoaningandshiveringuntrolbly．
"AreyouOK?"heaskedbendingoverher．
"Twenty...twenty...twentydolrs..."shebeggedinahoarseandalmostindistinguishablevoice．Dimitrikhatshemustbeanaddientedbyherneedfs．Hesearchedthroughhispockets,foundadolrhereadolrthere,anotherfromhissocks，untilhegotsomethinglikefifteendolrsandgavethemtoher．Thegirl’slusterlesseyeslitupasshegrabbedthemledupthestepsandsaid，"I’llberightback.”ItwasthenthatDimitrisawshewascrippledandwalked．
Aftershehadleft，Dimitrispreadouthissleepingbagandpreparedtosleep．Thegirlwasbalessthantenminutes．Shewasnormalnowandwasnolongershivering．
"Doyouhaveanymoremoney?Givethemtomeandyouhaveyourwaywithme..．Ihemoney.”
"What’syourname?"
"Shei．"
"Howoldareyou?"
"Idon’tknow．Fifteentosixteen，Isuppose．Igrewupinfosterhomes．"Dimitriwaoaskmore，butSheiinterrupted，"D’youhaveanymoremoney？I’llsellyoumybody．Doyouwantme?"
"OfcourseIdo．I’maman．ButIdon’thaveanymoremoney”．
Shebowedherheadinsilence．Dimitrilookedather．Shewasiful，butnotpiher，justanaveragegirlindirtybluejeans，T-shirtandajacket．Washedanddressedupshecouldevee．